Organic Compounds and the Atomic Properties of Carbon

Carbon s unusual ability to bond to other carbons and to many other nonmetals gives its compounds structural complexity and chemical diversity. The diversity arises from the presence of functional groups, specific combinations of bonded atoms that react in characteristic ways. 

Hydrocarbons (containing only C and H) are classified as alkanes (all single bonds), alkenes (at least one C=C bond), alkynes (at least one C=C bond), and aromatic (at least one planar ring with delocalized tt electrons). The C=C and C=C bonds are functional groups. 

Two kinds of isomers are important in organic chemistry. Constitutional (structural) isomers have different arrangements of atoms. Stereoisomers have the same atom arrangement but different spatial orientations. There are two types optical isomers are mirror images that cannot be superimposed, and geometric (cis-trans) isomers have different orientations of groups around a C=C bond. 

Three common types of organic reactions are addition (two atoms or groups are added and a C=C bond is converted to a C—C bond), elimination (two atoms or groups are removed and a C—C bond is converted to a C=C bond), and substitution (one atom or group replaces another). 

1 The Special Nature of Carbon and the Characteristics of Organic Molecules 

Polymers are made by covalently linking many small repeat units monomers). The monomer can be selected to give synthetic polymers desired properties. Polysaccharides, proteins, arxJ nucleic acids are natural polymers. DNA occurs as a double heSx, with bases h each straixl h-borxJed to specific bases h the other. The base sequence of an organism s DNA deterrrunes the artvno-acid sequences of its proteins, which determine the protein s functions. 

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CHAPTER 1 5 Organic Compounds and the Atomic Properties of Carbon... 

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